Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The Question of Aliyah part 1

Two years ago when I visited Israel for the first time in my life I fell madly and passionately in love! I couldn't believe it myself when it happened. everything but everything was beautiful. Every rock, every tree glowed with such loveliness that I was swept away with pure love. There were no questions to be asked, we were moving to Israel and making aliyah.

Since that initial romance there have been many folks who for whatever reason feel the need to tell my family and I the 'reality' of my lover.

"How will you make a parnasa?"

"What do you plan on doing to make a living?"

"There is no money there!"

"Life is hard there."

"Everything is expensive there."

and on and on and on they drone...

and you know what, all of their statements are quite correct.

But here is my reality, I have lived in the United States all my life. I have been poor, lived in a ghetto, been on welfare, was a single mother, been down to a can of green beans, been down to a bag of flour, lived in an apartment with no furniture, had no heat one winter, etc. We have had our share of struggles and hardships right here in the good ole' USA. And through it all we saw the most important reality of all: Hashem Hu Ha Melech. G-d is the King. He ALWAYS but ALWAYS made a way for us. He never let us starve or freeze. Somehow, even though many tears may have been shed our prayers were heard and Abba came through. He always does.

The true reality is, when we move to Israel, whether it be a year from now or ten years from now, it will be when Hashem says so. Not before and not after. It will be as easy or as hard as it is supposed to be. The only questions that will remain is will I trust Him and will I merit to actually live there.

That my friends is the reality.

1 comment:

Ehav Ever said...

I made Aliyah a little more than 5 months ago, and about 2 years ago I went through the same process you are talking about. I questioned how I would make money, what about this and what about that, etc. The whole time I knew that I needed to be in Israel, yet the how was escaping me. My original plan was a 5 year get out of debt and save money plan. After about 2 years I got out of debt, B'Azrath Hashem. Then before I went back to Israel in 2006 I met the CEO of the company I work for here in Israel. When I was in here in 2006 I interviewed for the company, but I didn't think I had gotten the job. Ends up that I got it and that was a sign for me to move.

While Israel has its problems, just like all of us as individuals do, I am at least glad that I am in a place where it is our problem. I never felt like the issues in America really belonged to me. So now I am trying to figure what my role is here to be a part of the solution.

That is how I looked at it. Like someone told me in 2004 when I was here, if your supposed to be here, be here, when the time is right Hashem will take care of the rest. It is just a matter of you doing your part.